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Curated research library of TV news clips regarding the NSA, its oversight and privacy issues, 2009-2014

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Primary curation & research: Robin Chin, Internet Archive TV News Researcher; using Internet Archive TV News service.

Speakers

George W Bush
President 2000-2008
KQED 05/13/2014
Audio TV reporting: Bush on day two of his tour to defend the Patriot Act, this time in Buffalo, New York... In Buffalo, he continued his push for an extension of the anti-terror law... Narrator: That same year, the president hit the campaign trail, publicly arguing there was no warrantless surveillance program. Bush: Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so. Lichtblau: Bush got up there several times and said, "When you hear about us wiretapping, that means we're getting a court warrant." Well, we knew that wasn't true. He was leaving out this whole other side of the equation in terms of the NSA operation. Bush: It's important for our fellow citizens to understand, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protect our homeland, because we value the Constitution. Thank you for coming.
James Risen
NYT National Security Journalist
KQED 05/13/2014
Lichtblau: It was a bit shocking, not only that he was calling him, but also that he got Hayden on the line. Risen: I read him, like, two paragraphs of the draft of the story. Risen’s story: "Months after the September 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others..." Risen: And you could hear, like, a sharp intake of breath, like... (gasps) You know, it was almost like he was... He didn't want to say it, but he was like, "I can't believe you got that story." Hayden: I think this is a very bad thing. There is a reason we keep intelligence sources and methods secret. It's the same reason journalists try to keep their sources and methods secret. You know, you can't survive unless you keep them secret. Risen: I'd caught him off guard, and he had started to confirm it, and then realized what he was doing, and hung up.
James Risen
NYT National Security Journalist
KQED 05/13/2014
Lichtblau: The chapter was just called "The Program." And in it, he basically made known the existence of this program and the fact that the administration had gotten the paper to spike the story. Risen: I said, "I want to make sure it's okay with you." He said, "The only thing I ask is that you put my name in there, too." Narrator: It did not take long for the editors at the New York Times to get word of what Risen was planning. Taubman: I began to hear through the grapevine that he might include the NSA story in the book. So that led to a series of, you know, very awkward conversations with Jim. Risen: The editors were furious at me. They thought I was being insubordinate. Lichtblau: He had a gun to their head. They're really being forced to reconsider. The paper's gonna look pretty bad.
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